Campaign finance

Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Attorney General Ken Paxton are all heavy favorites to win their Republican primary races next week. Texas law allows them to give their campaign funds to other politicians in more precarious positions.

Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has been fighting securities fraud charges for most of his first term, received money from family friends and other personal connections for his legal defense, according to a newly released financial disclosure statement.

State Rep. Ron Reynolds, D-Missouri City, went almost two years without filing any campaign or personal financial reports, racking up more than $50,000 in fines. He still hasn't paid anything and it's unclear whether any state agency has the power to make him.

From El Paso to Austin, dozens of candidates are running in competitive primaries for U.S. House seats. The latest fundraising reports give hints to which ones are drawing significant support and which remain long shots.

Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller appears to be in the most financially competitive statewide primary, with his challenger, former lobbyist Trey Blocker, reporting a higher cash-on-hand number ahead of the March 6 primary.

Three Texas Republicans are at or near the top of a list of politicians who have spent the most in campaign-related funds at President Donald Trump’s privately-owned properties over the last year, according to a new Washington Post report.

State ethics laws grant elected officials wide latitude on how they use their political contributions while in office — meaning there's a lot outgoing House Speaker Joe Straus could do with his $10 million campaign war chest.

The latest round of campaign fundraising reports show continued signs of of Democratic enthusiasm, though some Republican incumbents, including U.S. Reps. Pete Sessions and Will Hurd, posted strong third quarters.

Months after spending a turbulent 37-day stint as Corpus Christi mayor and then resigning, Dan McQueen is trying to unseat U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz – and hoping an "essay and rib" contest will both fund his bid and unload some property.

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas raised over $2 million for his re-election campaign and its allied groups in the third quarter, his team announced Wednesday, more than his Democrat U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke who is vying to unseat him.

Four Texans in Congress – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, and U.S. Reps. John Culberson of Houston, Ted Poe of Humble and Lamar Smith of San Antonio – were outraised by a Democratic challenger in the last quarter.